The simple change to your driveway that could reduce winter flood risks

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"When it comes to adapting cities to a rapidly and dramatically changing climate, the garden is on the frontline of the fight. Gardens act as green sinkholes, allowing excess rainwater to escape, as well as helping to cool cities in summer. Gardens would provide all these (and other) benefits if they were not being concreted over and research shows this is happening fast. Around 54% of front gardens in the UK are now concreted over, up from 46% in 1991."

"As the winter storm season approaches, the risk of flooding is of increasing concern. Urban areas face the double jeopardy of more intense rainfall due to climate change and enhanced soil sealing from paving over of gardens. At least one in six people in the UK already live with flood risk as heavy rainfall is increasing. Insurance claims linked to extreme weather are rising. A recent report from the Royal Horticultural Society, launched on October 30, highlighted how UK front gardens now comprise 89,000 hectares of paved or concreted space, compared to only 73,500 hectares of space with plants."

The Independent emphasizes on-the-ground reporting across topics from reproductive rights to climate change and Big Tech, funded by donations to remain paywall-free. Donations sustain journalists who report to both sides and keep quality journalism accessible to all. Urban gardens provide critical climate adaptation functions by absorbing excess rainwater and cooling cities, but rapid concreting of front gardens is reducing these benefits. About 54% of UK front gardens are now paved, up from 46% in 1991, creating greater flood risk as extreme rainfall increases. At least one in six people in the UK face flood risk, and related insurance claims are rising.

Read at www.independent.co.uk